On board MS HANSEATIC from Kangerlussuaq to Vancouver

Expedition Northwest Passage: A Gripping Experience that Never Lets You Go

For more than 400 years, seafarers from all over the world had been searching for the Northwest Passage before it was successfully tackled for the first time in 1906 by Roald Amundsen. In recent years, the once impenetrable passage has exhibited signs of global warming and climate change. How will it be on your voyage? In the spectacular natural environment, you will encounter polar bears, whales and evidence of the Inuit culture that is well-worth seeing – and gain your own impressions of the effects of the climate on the ice situation.

Expedition Days in Greenland Deep fjords, mighty glaciers and the heritage of the Inuit - Greenland is the perfect introduction to your Expedition Northwest Passage. After you have visited the settlements Aasiaat and Qeqertarsuaq that were already founded at the end of the 18th century, unforgettable natural scenarios await you in Disko Bay. While you cruise with the HANSEATIC or the Zodiacs, bizarre ice formations will silently drift past you, calved into the sea from one of the largest glaciers in the northern hemisphere. These are fantastic moments when the ice reflects the light of the polar sun in shades of pure white to turquoise. Ashore, striking colour contrasts are provided by the Greenlandic villages with their painted wooden houses. The fishing village Uummannaq is one of the prettiest settlements in Greenland, the inhabitants of which will welcome you with their traditional hospitality.

On the Tracks of the Great Explorers: The Northwest PassageThe Inuit call it Nunavut – ”our homeland“ – and the HANSEATIC is also in her element here along the rugged coasts of Canada. Thanks to the low draught, the ship effortlessly makes its way through the intricate island worlds – for spectacular views and wildlife observations which are crowned by thrilling Zodiac rides. Like, for example, in Pond Inlet on Baffin Island. Listen to the typical throat singing of the indigenous people - perhaps while belugas are splashing around in the waters off the coast of the picturesque settlement. With a bit of luck, you will see the impressive musk oxen at the edge of the tundra in Dundas Harbor before the history of explorers comes to life on Beechey Island - three lonely seamen’s graves bear witness to the Franklin expedition, which failed in the search for the Northwest Passage. Resolute owes its name to one of the ships that were searching for the missing explorers. As you continue on your route, you could hear the call ”Polar bear ahead!“ at any time because the king of the Arctic prowls through the region in his hunt for food and crosses the Peel Sound on the ice, which is frequently pushed into the narrow waterway.

Interesting animal sightings, for example of musk oxen, also await you on Jenny Lind Island, which is famous for its abundant bird world. No less exiting is the encounter with the heritage of Roald Amundsen in Cambridge Bay - here lies the wreck of the ”Maud“, the ship with which the legendary explorer successfully tackled the Northeast Passage. You might see some musk oxen again at Ross Point if you cast your eyes across the barren tundra. In the small settlement of Holman, you will find out how skilled the Inuit are in handling tools and the creation of colourful art prints. However, it is not a human work of art, but a wonder of nature that will cast its spell on you at the Smoking Hills - mystical wafts of mist shroud the coast where pyritic rock strata self-ignited centuries ago. With the Zodiacs, you will get as close to the mysterious phenomenon as possible before you explore the former centre of American whaling on Herschel Island. With a little luck, you will be able to watch the majestic marine mammals from the Zodiac. You subsequently have the opportunity to go on a tour of discovery together with Canadian rangers, in the course of which you may see rough-legged buzzards or even brown bears.

Fri, 06.09.2013 - Sat, 07.09.2013

Alaska (Barrow , Point Hope )

Barrow is also associated with whales - numerous schools of whales pass by the coast of the most northern town of the USA every summer. The igloos of the ancient settlement which you can visit in Point Hope are partially built of whalebones – final impressive evidence of the adaptability of the Inuit to the harshness of their natural environment and the befitting finale to your own personal Northwest Passage.